My January 'Back to Basics' Glossybox

Hello Lovelies,

I received my January Glossybox earlier this week and I always look forward to it arriving and seeing what is inside, but this month I was quite disappointed with what was inside mine. The Theme for this month’s Glossybox is 'Back to Basics' and the Glossybox Team have chosen 'simple essentials' for this box.

The actual box this month was the same pink colour as the usual ones, although it looks a bit glossier and is bigger than the usual ones. The ribbon inside has also been changed and now has Glossybox and the Glossybox symbol printed on it.

Here is what I got this month…..

Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream - 2 x 3g

This is a 'multi-use' moisturising cream that can be used on really dry skin including your face and lips. I hadn't heard of this brand or product before and it isn't something I would normally buy, but I will give it a try. 

Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash - 50ml

This Body Wash has 'juniper, bergamot, geranium and lavender essential oils' in it and unfortunately I really don't like the smell of it, so I think I will see if a friend or one of my sisters likes the smell and I'll give it to them. 

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Floral Slanted Tweezers

These tweezers have a gorgeous floral pattern on them and are probably my favourite thing in this month's Glossybox, although I already have a few pairs of tweezers, so didn't really need another. 

Anatomicals Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer Wake-Up Under Eye Patches - 2 sachets

I've tried a few Anatomical things before, but hadn't heard of these. They 'help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and revitalise the delicate skin around your eyes'. I haven't tried any eye patches before am intrigued to see how these work, so will give them a try.

Vaseline Essential Moisture Clean Feeling Lotion - 50ml

I was a bit disappointed to see this in my Glossybox, because I thought the samples in Glossyboxes were supposed to be high end ones and I wouldn't say Vaseline was high end. Although moisturisers like this are always handy so I am sure I will use this. 

Overall I am not very excited about what I received in my Glossybox this month and after speaking to other people on Twitter I realised that I am not the only one who was disappointed with this month’s Glossybox. I really hope Glossybox do better next month or I may have to cancel my subscription, particularly as my Birchboxes have been so good recently.

What did you get in your Glossybox this month? Leave me your link as a comment if you have posted about yours.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

Christmas Beauty Box Swap - My Box from Hannah

Hello Lovelies,

Back in November I organised a Christmas Beauty Box Swap and everyone who wanted to take part was randomly paired with someone and I was paired with Hannah from The Makeup Times. We had planned to send the boxes before Christmas so everyone would have them by Christmas, but unfortunately Hannah didn't send mine until the middle of January. I am not sure of the reason it was sent late, but Hannah did say she had added a couple of extras to make up for the delay, which was nice of her.

My box was wrapped up and inside all my the things inside were wrapped individually, which I think was a really lovely touch and I did the same with the things I sent to Hannah. 

I hadn't tried anything from Elf until the end of last year and so far I have been impressed with the things I have tried, so I was pleased that Hannah had chosen me some things from Elf. She chose a Duo Powder Eyeshadow in Mocha Swirl, a Lip Stain in Berry Blush, an Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Smoke/Black, a Blush in Innocence and a Nail Polish in Mango Madness. These are just the sort of colours I would choose for myself and I'm excited to try them. 

Also included in my Box was a gorgeous Ted Baker 'I Wanna Be Loved By You' set which includes a beautiful makeup bag, a hand cream, a body spray, a lip balm and a candle, which all smell really lovely and I'm looking forward to using them.

She also chose for me some No. 7 Blissful Body Wash and a bath bomb, which both smell lovely and I am looking forward to using these and as a little extra Hannah also included a Chocolate Orange and who doesn't love a Chocolate Orange! :)

I really enjoyed organising this Beauty Box Swap and taking part in it. I will probably organise another one for Christmas this year, so if it’s something you would be interested in, follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin or GFC and watch out for a post around November.

Did you take part in a Christmas Beauty Box Swap? If you did leave me the link to your post about it, because I love seeing what other people received and sent.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie

Hello Lovelies, 

Today I wanted to share with you something I have been loving recently and that is my Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie. My friend bought this for me about a year ago and it is the only Revlon Lip Butter I have tried. I used it a lot when I first got it but then hadn't used it for a while, until a couple of weeks ago when I saw it in with my other lipsticks and decided I needed to wear it more.

Raspberry Pie is a gorgeous bright pink colour that is really pigmented and feels very moisturising, which I something I love from a lip product, it feels just like you are wearing a thick lip balm. The colour lasts really well and I can’t believe I haven’t bought any more of these.

If you want a strong bold glossy colour you can apply a couple of coats and that is what I have done in the photo below.

Or if you want a more subtle colour, you can apply a little and then blend it in with your fingers, which I quite like just to brighten up my lips and I have done this in the photo below.

I really want to try some more of these, what colours are your favourites?

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

NOTD - Ciaté Nail Polish in Ferris Wheel and Mavala Nail Polish in Pure Diamond

Hello Lovelies,

Today I have a NOTD Post for you and my NOTD is Ciaté Nail Polish in Ferris Wheel with Mavala Nail Polish in 213 Pure Diamond on the tips. The Ciaté Nail Polish was one of the nail polishes that was in my Ciaté Mini Mani Advent Calendar and it is a gorgeous baby blue colour. The Mavala Nail Polish was in my Boots Beauty Advent Calendar and is a lovely silver holographic glittery nail polish.

I had seen photos on Blogs and Instagram of nails that have been painted to have this gradient glitter effect and I loved how it looked, so I thought I would give it a go and it was really easy to do. First I painted my nails with a base coat of Ciaté Underwear Base Coat, followed by two coats of the Ciaté Nail Polish, which applied really nicely. Then I put a thick line of the Mavala Nail Polish on the tips and left it for a few seconds before gently pulling it down my nail a bit. I used two coats of the Mavala Nail Polish because I wanted them to be really sparkly. I then applied a coat of Ciaté Speed Coat Top Coat, which left them really shiny.

I love the gradient glitter effect and I think this colour combination is gorgeous and it reminds me of winter, ice and frost, although not sure if that is just me? I can’t wait to try this effect out with some different nail polish combinations.

Have you tried a this nail effect? What colour combinations do you like?

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

My January 'Tiny Tweaks' Birchbox

Hello Lovelies, 

Today I wanted to share with you what I received in my January Birchbox. The theme for this month's box is 'Tiny Tweaks’, with the idea behind this being that if you break your new year resolutions down into ‘bite-sized pieces’ and make small changes each day they are more achievable and ‘will make a big difference by year end’. I really like this way of thinking about goals you have no matter how big or small they are. The Birchbox Team have chosen the products for this month's Box to help you make ‘tiny tweaks’ that together will make a big difference.

Included with this month’s box was a little booklet ‘filled with 30 Birchbox-approved tiny tweaks’ and I think this is a lovely idea with good tips in such as 'Add a slice of lemon to hot water and drink first thing in the morning to kickstart your metabolism'. 

The Birchbox this month was different to the previous ones I have received and the samples weren't in a little drawstring bag, instead they were wrapped in baby pink tissue paper. I quite liked the drawstring bags, but I guess you could end up with too many and it did look nice wrapped liked this.

Inside my Birchbox was…..

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer - 20ml

This is a hair mask that you apply before you shampoo your hair. The ends of my hair seem a bit dry at the moment so I think I will make an effort to use this soon. I received a sample of this in my August Birchbox, so wasn't too excited to see a sample of this included again so soon. I haven’t used the one I received in August yet so now I have two of them I hope I like this hair mask!

Benefit The Porefessional - 7.5ml

This is a primer that ‘magically erases pores and leaves skin velvety’. I already have a full size one of these and have repurchased it a few times. I love it, because not only does it keep my makeup in place it also helps keep my skin matte throughout the day, so I was happy this was included in my Birchbox this month.

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanillé Soufflé Body Crème - 25g

I haven’t tried any of the Laura Mercier Soufflé Body Crèmes, but have read so many good things about them, so I was really excited to see this inside my Box. It smells amazing and is the perfect size to take with you if you are going on holiday or away for the weekend. It has ‘shea butter, jojoba, grape seed oil’ and ‘aloe vera gel’ in it and I can’t wait to try it.

Premae Anatomy Nutrients Instant Renewal Body Oil with sunflower and rosewood - 20ml

I am a big fan of Premae, especially their Harmony range and if you have oily/combination skin you should give this a try! However I haven’t tried any of their body products and this body oil claims to ‘moisturise, tone and detoxify skin’. I do not usually use body oils as I like to use something that absorbs quickly into my skin, but I will definitely be trying this out.

Delarom Acquaconfort Mask - 15ml

I am really into trying out different skincare products at the moment and love using face masks, so I am always happy to see one of these in my Birchbox. This one helps ‘nourish skin and restore suppleness and vitality’ and I am looking forward to giving this one a try.

Birchbox Eye Mask

I always like getting little extras like this in my Birchbox, however I received one of these in my August one so now I have two, so I think I will give this one to a friend or one of my sisters.

Overall I am really pleased with what I received and I think Birchbox have done really well again this month, although it would have been nice to receive at least one full size product. 

I love trying new brands and think beauty boxes like this are a perfect way to discover brands you might not come across otherwise. It is also nice to receive samples from high end well-known brands and Birchbox did well this month by including a Benefit and Laura Mercier sample. 

If you fancy trying a Birchbox, you can find more details here.

What did you get in your Birchbox this month? Leave me your link as a comment if you have posted about yours.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x